


Adventures in Babysitting (Worried Grandpa Remix)

by sebastian2017



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Babysitting, Domestic Fluff, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Heavy 2000s vibes, M/M, dadneto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-29 23:19:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19840612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: Erik looks after his grandchildren for an afternoon. It should be nothing but fun, but Erik's always been too much of a worrier to enjoy anything wholeheartedly.





	Adventures in Babysitting (Worried Grandpa Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Worried Grandpa](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15282969) by [newbie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/newbie/pseuds/newbie). 
  * In response to a prompt by [newbie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/newbie/pseuds/newbie) in the [xmen_remix_madness2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmen_remix_madness2019) collection. 



> this fic could also be called 'late 90s/early 2000s babies, roll up'

He hasn’t been the best of fathers. Erik would be the first to agree with that statement, because he really sees no point in pretending to change history. He wasn’t the best of fathers and though he tries his best now, there’s only so much he can do to make up for it when his children are fully grown. But being the best grandfather possible? That’s definitely something he can do.

He tries his hardest to always be around for his grandsons, probably to the point of annoyance. Erik greatly prefers his grandchildren look back and be annoyed at how often he was there with them instead of the memories his children have of him. 

It’s why he jumps at every opportunity to take care of them for a while, even if it usually leaves him exhausted and sore from chasing after two little boys. He’s not a young man any longer. Still, he’ll take a perpetually achy back any day if it means spending time with the boys. This weekend has been a particularly extended stay, as Wanda’s off on Avengers business. Erik hadn’t asked many questions. He’s never approved very much of her working with the Avengers. His only concern is surviving Saturday to Monday night without either of the twins suddenly deciding they hate him. 

Currently, he’s three hoursTommy’s fifth tantrum. Erik’s no longer so confident he’ll survive this. 

“Tommy, boychik, if you cry and talk so fast, I can’t understand anything you’re saying,” Erik says gently, crouching down in front of where Tommy is thrown on the floor and sobbing. A few feet away, Charles is sat with Billy on his lap, the both of them looking at him with a great deal of amusement. Erik is glad at least someone is amused. 

Tommy sits up, tears and boogers all over his face. Erik used to be put off by this, but he’s just the shell of who he once was now. Between hiccuped sobs, Tommy says, “Wanna watch Bear!” 

“Bear? Which bear, Tommy boy?” Erik asks, moving him onto his lap and stroking his back soothingly. 

“Blue bear!” he cries, falling forward against Erik’s chest. Oh well. Erik’s sweater was bound to get ruined at some point today anyway. 

Erik frowns. Perhaps he should start watching more children’s television. “Blue bear? Which is that one?” 

“Do you mean Bear in the Big Blue House, Tommy?” Charles asks, ever the lifesaver. 

“Yeah!” Tommy agrees. Like magic, he stops crying and toddles over to Charles, clambering up onto his lap next to his brother. 

Billy doesn’t even mind having to share his space. In fact, he perks up bit. “I love Bear!” 

“We’ll watch Bear, then. No need to cry about it,” Erik says, standing up and finding a nearby tissue to pat dry his sweater. “See how easy things can be resolved when we talk about them?” 

“Yes, Erik, see how easily things are resolved through talking instead of dramatics?” Charles repeats, very clearly teasing him. 

Erik doesn’t even dignify that with a response, because Charles has had his fun teasing him about such things plenty of times before. “Let me go find the VHS.” 

He goes off to find the right video and when he comes back, Tommy’s in a much brighter mood while he chats with Charles. He’s always been a bit of a miracle worker when it comes to kids, but Erik wants to learn to be better. Even if it means putting up with a dozen tantrums a day. When the show is set up and playing on the television, Erik goes to sit on the couch and encourages Charles and the twins to come join him. Soon enough, he and Charles are sat next to each other with the twins snuggled up between their laps. It’s absolutely perfect. 

Erik doesn’t understand this show very much. There’s puppets, clearly, and a large, friendly bear whose house seems to be quite a popular destination for some reason. The bear also talks to the audience every once in a while, which Erik doesn’t understand, because it’s clearly a playback, but the twins seem excited by it, nonetheless, so they’ll have to deal with the ridiculousness, it seems. Charles seems amused by the whole situation, for some reason. 

As the episode comes to the end, Billy crawls over Charles’ lap to get to Erik and pouts. “Opa, I’m tired. Can we get nap time? Pretty please?” 

“Of course,” Erik agrees. Nap time is a blessing. They’re doing him a favor more than anything else, to be entirely honest. “What about you, Tommy? Want to lay down for a nap as well?”

“Nuh uh. I’m not tired. Never tired!” Tommy exclaims. It would be more convincing if he didn’t say it all in between muffled yawns. He adds, “But I’ll go anyway. So Billy won’t get bad dreams. But I’m not tired!” 

“I understand perfectly, boychik. Not tired, just a very noble brother,” Erik agrees, standing up to collect them both in his arms. 

“I’m the big brother!” Tommy agrees proudly. 

Billy whines, “By twelve minutes! That doesn’t count.” 

Before this can get any further, Erik bends down so they can both give Charles a kiss on the cheek before leaving for bedtime. He goes to put them down in their beds and instead of a bedtime story, he simply tells them a golem will come in through their window if they don’t get to sleep soon. It’s a tactic that’s always worked wonders. When they’re settled and calm, Erik goes back to the family room and settles down next to Charles once more. 

“We should have an hour or two of freedom, I think,” Erik says, wrapping an arm around Charles’ shoulders. 

“Freedom,” he repeats, laughing. “You say that as though you don’t love every single hectic second with them.” 

Erik nods, seeing no point in arguing otherwise. “I do. I wouldn’t worry so much if I didn’t love having them around.” 

“Still worried that Wanda might rid the world of her sons as easily as she brought them in?” Charles asks. 

“Yes. Among other things. Life seems such a delicate thing. Surely the universe isn’t built to accommodate the spawning of new life out of the blue,” he says. It hurts to think of his grandchildren as some sort of freaks of nature, but there’s little other ways to put it. By all means, they shouldn’t have come into the world as they did. 

“You’re right. But Wanda loves those boys with all her heart. She’d sooner take herself out of the universe before them,” Charles assures him, which isn’t all that reassuring. “As for their place in the workings of the universe… There’s not really much we can know about that. Better to enjoy our time with them instead of worrying, no?” 

“I suppose. You know how I’ve always hated uncertainty.” He sighs, shaking his head. Nothing in his life is ever simple. 

Charles nods. “I know. There’s not much to be done about it, though. For the moment, let’s fix a gap in your knowledge that is far easier to deal with. Children’s programming.” 

“I think I’d rather sit here and dwell on my existential terror.” 

“Too bad. Turn on PBS. We’re going to watch Between the Lions.” 

**Author's Note:**

> for questions, prompts, or chatting I can be found on tumblr at [sebbym17](http://sebbym17.tumblr.com/)


End file.
